If IRCC has asked you for a Canadian criminal record check, you need a fingerprint based check processed by the RCMP. Not the quick name based check your employer runs. Not a vulnerable sector check. This page explains exactly which one, how to get it, what it costs (less than you think, and possibly nothing), and the mistakes that get applications rejected.
In this guide
Two kinds of check, and only one of them counts
A name based criminal record check compares your name and date of birth against the Canadian Police Information Centre. It is fast, and for most everyday purposes it is enough.
A certified criminal record check, which the RCMP also calls a fingerprint based check, uses your actual fingerprints. In the RCMP's words, fingerprints are "the most accurate way to confirm a person's identity. They ensure that individuals cannot evade their criminal past, and protect individuals from being falsely associated with a criminal record that is not theirs."
For immigration, the fingerprint route is the one that matters. IRCC's instruction is unambiguous: fingerprints must be submitted electronically to Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services (CCRTIS). Paper submissions will not be processed and will be sent back to you.
Being asked for fingerprints does not mean anyone suspects you of anything. The RCMP says so directly, and adds that the prints are used only for the record check and are destroyed afterwards.
When IRCC actually asks for it
Here is something most people do not realise. You do not need to supply a Canadian criminal record check when you first apply for permanent residence. IRCC's own words: "You don't need to provide a police certificate when you apply for permanent residence in Canada. We'll tell you if you need a Canadian criminal record check while your application is being processed."
So wait to be asked, then move quickly.
Police certificates from other countries are a different story entirely. Those you do need upfront.
Police certificates from outside Canada
For Express Entry, IRCC's system will ask for a police certificate for you and every family member aged 18 or older, from every country you stayed in during the last 10 years for six months in a row or longer.
Three clarifications that save people a great deal of unnecessary work:
Time before you turned 18 does not count. A stay of eight months in the United States at age 16 does not trigger a certificate.
Time more than 10 years ago does not count. Seven months in Turkey twenty years ago does not trigger one.
Several short stays do not add up. Four month study periods in Spain, repeated, are not "six months in a row." The system will not ask, though an officer still might later. If that is you, consider getting the certificate anyway.
And you never need a police certificate for time spent in Canada as part of that list.
Validity
For the country where you currently live, the certificate must be issued no more than six months before you submit your application.
For any other country, it must be issued after the last time you lived there for six consecutive months or longer since you turned 18. An expiry date printed on it does not automatically disqualify it, provided it meets that test and is not for your current country.
IRCC can ask for updated documents at any point during processing.
Upload scanned colour copies of the originals. Certified true copies and unauthorised copies are not accepted and will get your application rejected.
How to get the RCMP check, step by step
If you are inside Canada
Go to either your local police service or an RCMP accredited fingerprinting company. Both can take your prints and submit a certified criminal record check.
Some police services will simply point you to an accredited company. Fine. Use the RCMP's list of accredited companies, which is updated at the start of every month.
Your prints are submitted electronically to CCRTIS and checked against the National Repository of Criminal Records. The result is mailed to the address you provide.
If you are outside Canada
This is where people get stuck, because electronic submission is not available from outside Canada. There is a two step route.
Step one. Get a paper copy of your fingerprints from an authorised agency where you are: a police service, a foreign government embassy or consulate (not a Canadian one), a government department, a notary public, or a foreign fingerprinting company that has an arrangement with an accredited Canadian company or a Canadian police service.
The paper copy must show all ten fingers in black ink, the name and address of the agency, and the signature and name of the official who took them.
Step two. Contact an accredited fingerprinting company in Canada. They digitise your paper prints and submit them to CCRTIS electronically on your behalf.
Do not mail your fingerprints or your application directly to the RCMP. The RCMP says plainly that it will not be accepted.
One exception worth knowing: if you are applying for citizenship, your fingerprints must be collected inside Canada.
What it costs
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| RCMP federal processing fee | CAD $25 per check |
| Local police or accredited company fee | Set by them. The RCMP publishes no figure, no range and no cap |
Now the part almost nobody knows.
The $25 federal fee is WAIVED if you are applying to immigrate to Canada, or applying for Canadian citizenship, or applying to do volunteer work in Canada.
But it IS charged if you are sponsoring a family member to come to Canada, or if you are travelling and need a visa, a United States entry waiver, or a border crossing document.
Read that twice. The immigrant does not pay the federal fee. The sponsor does.
You will still pay whatever the police service or accredited company charges to take and submit your prints, and that is separate. The RCMP does not publish those prices, and anyone quoting you a single all in national figure is guessing. Ask your provider directly.
How long it takes
The RCMP publishes times for electronic submissions only.
| Outcome | RCMP processing time |
|---|---|
| No match to a criminal record | 3 business days or less |
| A possible match, or manual processing is involved | 120 business days |
That is a gap of roughly six months between the best and worst case, and you do not get to choose which one applies to you. Add Canada Post delivery on top, because results are mailed.
The RCMP's own advice is the right advice: plan ahead. If your Express Entry profile is in the pool, start on your police certificates now rather than after an invitation lands.
If the RCMP is running slow, IRCC has your back on this one. Because of high demand, IRCC automatically extends the deadline to provide a criminal record check by 30 days. You do not need to contact IRCC or the RCMP to get that extension.
The 60 day problem, and what to do about it
An invitation to apply gives you 60 days. A police certificate can take 120 business days. The arithmetic does not work, and IRCC knows it.
If you cannot get a certificate in time, submit a letter of explanation plus proof that you made your best effort. Acceptable proof includes a confirmation receipt, a payment receipt, a delivery notice, a tracking number, or a written explanation from the issuing agency about the delay.
An officer decides whether your effort was genuine. If they are not satisfied, the application can be rejected as incomplete. So keep every receipt and every tracking number.
Some countries only issue a police certificate when IRCC formally requests one. If that is your country, upload a document in the police certificate field that says: "I am applying from a country that requires an official request letter from IRCC to get a police certificate." IRCC will then tell you what to do.
The vulnerable sector check is not what you need
A vulnerable sector check is a police information check plus a search for record suspensions relating to sexual offences. It exists to protect children and vulnerable people, and it is tied to a specific position of trust or authority.
Three things follow from that, and they matter.
The organisation must request it. You consent, but you do not request it yourself.
It must be done by your local police service. Accredited private fingerprinting companies do not provide them.
It is an offence to conduct one when the position does not meet the legal requirements.
IRCC names the document it wants: a criminal record check. That is what to ask for. Do not walk into a police station and request a vulnerable sector check for an immigration file.
If you have a criminal record
If you were convicted in Canada, a record suspension from the Parole Board of Canada removes the record from CPIC. IRCC is explicit: "If you get a Canadian record suspension, you will no longer be inadmissible."
Understand its limits, though. A record suspension does not erase the conviction, it sets it aside. It does not guarantee entry to any other country. It is flagged in CPIC for former sexual offenders. And it can be revoked if you are convicted again, are found not to be of good conduct, or made a false statement when you applied for it.
If your conviction and pardon are from another country, do not assume it carries over. Check with the visa office serving your region. It will tell you whether that pardon is recognised in Canada.
Separately, IRCC has two rehabilitation routes for convictions abroad. Deemed rehabilitation applies when enough time has passed and the equivalent Canadian offence carries a maximum prison term of less than 10 years. Individual rehabilitation requires at least five years since the end of your sentence, including probation, and IRCC warns those applications can take over a year.
This is the point in the process where a licensed representative is worth the money. Criminal inadmissibility is not a form filling problem.
One more thing that surprises people. For permanent residence and citizenship checks, the RCMP releases not just convictions but outstanding charges and non conviction information. A charge that never led to a conviction can still appear.
Common mistakes
- Mailing prints or the application straight to the RCMP. It will not be accepted.
- Submitting on paper. IRCC will send it back unprocessed.
- Assuming you can submit electronically from abroad. You cannot. Ink prints must be digitised by an accredited Canadian company.
- Uploading a photocopy or a certified true copy of a police certificate. Colour scans of the original only, or your application gets rejected.
- Confusing these fingerprints with IRCC biometrics. They are two different things for two different purposes.
- Waiting for the invitation before starting. With 120 business days as a possible outcome, that is how people run out of the 60 day clock.
Questions people actually ask
Prepared by KGraph Immigration. Last updated July 2026. General information, not legal advice.